November 6, 2008

Shut Up, Stand Up, Grow Up and Show Up

Posted in International Christian Tennis Association, Teamwork at 2:37 pm by Scott Paschal

What would happen if today’s generation of youth realized they could make a difference in the world?

By this I mean if today’s tweener and teen generation had the opportunity to somehow view two different potential paths in life side by side, which path would they choose?

For instance, one path leads to a typical high school experience.  Then on to a typical college experience.  From there comes a marriage at a young age, children, and the race to acquire stuff.  Church is simply a chore to help the kids.  TV is god.  Tolerance of gays shows you are a hip person.  Soon, divorce appears… kids go to college…  2nd and 3rd marriage…. retirement.

OK, now I’m depressed, too.

Now, let me offer you another view.

The only word for it is radical.  Not better.  Not higher.  Radical.  Maybe another word we could use would be revolutionary….

Before I load the bullets and cock the hammer, I want to ask you something.

Why are you here?

Not here as in reading my trivia, but why are you alive on earth?  What is your purpose?

It’s a big question.

My purpose on earth?  I am here to be crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20.) I am here to spread the fame of the most controversial figure in history.  And I really don’t care who approves or disapproves, either.

My goal is to do what I can to destroy Satan’s plans by exposing his fraud.

How?

Through my sharing, and teaching others how to share, the victory of Jesus’ blood shed on a Roman cross.

Now that the vast majority of you, particularly American Christians, are now confused with what I just wrote, I’ll dumb it down for you.

I realize you’ve strayed far from the Cross.  You typically claim to follow Jesus… but you get a little uncomfortable about the thought of being “crucified with Christ.”  (Gal 2:20)

That’s a bit too radical for you, huh?

OK, I’ll add some sights and sounds and funny things here to entertain you, like you get with your TV god and wimpy, modern-day “feel-good” Christianity….

That said, I want to now look at the other possible view/path Generation Next could choose.

Like I mentioned, it’s a radical direction for most of you.  You might have to ask Satan to remove his hands from covering your eyes for a moment….

Picture this….

From the birth of their kids, our future Pastors and World Leaders, Christian parents teach their kids facts about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

(I know radical for you.  Especially since you have no quality info on the subject yourself… )

As such, nationwide, a New Generation is intensively studying Christian apologetics, the defense of their Faith.  Imagine the global aftershocks of such focus!

Instead of kids becoming followers of Jesus simply because they have been brainwashed into it by well-meaning, but guilt tripping parents, friends, Pastors, Christian concert, etc…

… kids are taught hard core facts based on intelligence and proof.

Let’s say these kids are passionately armed with the ability to prove the validity of the Bible, and to use scientific evidence to show an Intelligent Designer created all things…

Wow!

Then, we send this generation worldwide to learn how to share their knowledge.

And to let them sharpen their skills as followers of Christ while they confront Christless cultures…

God would be able to work through them in reaching people who do not have the Holy Spirit living in their hearts, who do not know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.   Basically, people who are currently on a collision course with Hell.

Can you imagine a New Generation of 5-8 million youth empowered by God, educated about God, and sent by God fearing Churches to all nations and people groups!

As such, Christian kids have a purpose.  They have a reason for being.  Life is more than gimmee, gimmee, gimmee and video games and TV and “tolerance” and making Mommy and Daddy happy.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, this New Generation will interact with culture worldwide, and they will grow deeper in love with Jesus.

Persecution will come, as promised in the Bible, and Generation Next will become sharper and more powerful and reach a level of life they were designed for.

I know.  Many of you overprotective, Christian “hover parents” are pretty much freaking out by now and are feeling “uncomfortable” with this.

But, deep down you know I’m right.

About 3 months ago the father of a top female 16 year old player from S. California wanted me to start coaching his daughter full time.

This girl is currently coached by a couple of the USA’s top coaches, really famous guys.  So, I was flattered.

She is an amazing up and coming tennis star.

I told Dad I’m not currently taking new students, but to tell me what’s going on.

The problem is, according to Dad, her current coaches have no idea how to keep the world from infecting her, and they may be part of the problem.

Already, she is experimenting with alcohol… and Dad is concerned about the friends she is choosing.  And her tennis level is dropping… fast.

Definitely a common theme here in America, as well as Australia and Canada.

That’s where I come in.

I coach at the elite level needed to maintain and add value to the already great job her current coaches are doing.

But, unlike Godless mentors, I am trained and prepared to cut through and get rid of the worldly satanic crap infesting her thoughts.

I am used by God to give the kids (and parents) their lives back and to show them a higher purpose.

I know how totally without Christ is the global tennis industry.

And I am completely aware that “Christian-Tennis Coach” is an oxymoron.

I have seen Satan completely and totally destroy the lives, hopes, dreams, and Faith of kids worldwide.  I know Satan owns tennis.

Satan and I are locked face to face in a life and death stare down for today’s youth.

I would love to now give you an amazing story of how this girl’s life changed.  I can’t, though.

I never even got to meet her.

As I talked to her Dad, I told him he was the main problem.

I told him he is a wimpy Christian and it’s hurting his kid.

Even though his own Dad was a pastor… even though he grew up in a Godly home… even though he was a respected business professional… it was easy to see he struggles with being a “hover parent”, and a “churchy” Christian who struggles with control issues, places God in a box, and is unwilling to authentically let the girl go and grow.

He agreed.  And he appreciated the brutal honesty.

I then invited the player to travel with our ICTA Women’s Pro Tennis Team to ITF Pro Circuit tournaments in the USA.

It would give her a chance to hit with better players, hangout with Christians, compete with the world’s top juniors and dozens of WTA ranked pros, and experience a Christian outreach mission trip.

He loved the idea.

We worked on a potential schedule where she would attend a few tournaments in the USA, then travel internationally.  He kept loving the idea.

We discussed his need to back off and be less dominant in her tennis.  He 100% agreed it was important and wanted to change.

Yet, she never came.  I never met her.

As the time for commitments came, he began to feel “uncomfortable” and felt if God was truly involved and if God truly approved of it all, then he should have an “inner peace.”

Inner peace!?  Inner peace!!?  Are you serious!!?

Obviously, Dad didn’t know about Jesus sweating blood before He was to be arrested and crucified.  Or the pain Mary must have felt as her baby boy was being slaughtered…

… or the despair of aloneness and abandonment Jesus expressed as his life faded.

Inner peace!?  All Christian activities have to give everyone warm fuzzies and “inner peace”?  What an idiot.

I basically just let Dad wishy-wash himself away, and I moved on to Christians who don’t still wear diapers and continue to breast feed…

My question to this Dad and to others like him is…

“I wonder how Paul’s ‘inner peace’ felt as he was shipwrecked and floating in the ocean on a piece of wood?”

“What about his ‘inner peace’ when he was beaten and stoned?”

“Or, when Jesus’ disciples were eventually crucified… or ran through with a spear… or beheaded… or stoned… I wonder how “comfortable” they felt.”

This actually gets to the heart of the problem.

We don’t have many people left who are interested in being crucified with Christ. (Galations 2:20)

Like Peter, they follow Christ.

But, when pressure comes, they run to their comfort zones of denial.  Regardless of what they know is right, the Cross terrifies them.

If wimp Dad can’t even let his kid go on a mission trip in safe middle America to compete in a tennis tournament… and Dad was invited to come to!!!… then what the crap?

It’s pretty sad.

And, unfortunately it’s infected our soon to be Pastors and Christian Leaders rising out of Generation Next.

We are stuck with wimpy, pathetically uneducated in Christian apologetics, thus unmotivated, “Christians” who claim to follow Jesus, yet have little evidence of it in their lives.

What hacks me off is this weak brand of Jesus Freak will soon be in charge of shepherding the Church.

And, if that happens, forget about the Great Commission.

And forget about preaching Jesus crucified.  Forget about preaching about Sin, or Hell, or demonic warfare.

Forget about mentioning the power of the blood of Christ which guaranteed the defeat of a pathetically weak and defeated Satan.

Pastors nationwide today are already passionlessly working to not offend anyone!  They are already being beaten up and controlled by lost congregations sitting in the pews, of which, according to Jesus parable about the sower, a possible 75% are not truly Saved.

Weak preachers, selfish parents, thoughtless TV and internet, “tolerance” of horrific sins as a lifestyle… wake up you morons!  Move your feet and look at the ball!  You look like idiots, not players.

If we are going to compete in the Slams, we need to develop world class players!!

We have got to reach Generation Next with the same passion that ignited the early Church.

Generation Next is the harvest field of harvest fields.

What would happen if today’s generation of tweeners and teens realized they could make a difference in the world?

Ok, yes, I get it.  Things aren’t supposed to get “better.”

The Bible teaches it’s going to get worse down here.  Persecution of Christians is going to max out as we near the tie break in the 5th.

I’ve read the studies which show more followers of Jesus have been martyred in the last 18 months than in all of history, since Christ rose from death, combined.

I can see, like everyone else, that the match is soon ending.

So what?

Blend in to avoid persecution!?  Literally, Hell no.

We are not called to blend in.  We are not called to wimp out.

We are called to preach Christ crucified.  So, quit whining and shut up about how hard life is.

Quit complaining.  Realize what a Christian is.  Hunger for knowledge of all things Jesus.  Reach out to the world by preaching Christ crucified.

Shut up, stand up, grow up, and show up!

Look in the mirror….

When envisioning the Roman use of the Cross, do you deny your adoration of Jesus?

Are you simply a McChristian basically looking for a “feel good” Happy Meal religion?

Or are you a child of the living God sharing in the Lord’s Supper as a member of the Body of Christ while serving as a Crucified Saint in following His will for your life during the vapor of existence you have been granted?

Make your choice.  Where do you stand?

God bless,

Coach Scotty

International Christian Tennis Association

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